Darlow Smithson to Produce The Diary of Anne Frank for BBC One

LONDON, October 16: IMG Media’s Darlow Smithson Productions
has been commissioned by BBC One to produce the drama series The Diary of
Anne Frank for a prime-time slot.

The 5×30-minute series features stories of the days before
her family and their friends were forced into hiding together in a secret annex
above a warehouse and through the two years they spent there.

Darlow Smithson acquired the rights to the diary from the
Anne Frank-Fonds. The screenplay is written by BAFTA Award-nominated Deborah
Moggach (Pride and Prejudice) and is
directed by Jon Jones. It is produced by Elinor Day and executive produced by
John Smithson for Darlow Smithson Productions.

The Diary of Anne Frank
will star Ellie Kendrick as Anne, Iain Glen (Kingdom of Heaven, City
of Vice) as Anne’s father Otto and Tamsin
Gregg (Green Wing, Love Soup) as
Anne’s mother Edith. Felicity Jones (Cape Wrath, Northanger Abbey) will play Anne’s sister Margot Frank. Ron Cook (Foyle’s
War, Hot Fuzz) and Lesley Sharp (The
Second Coming, Clocking Off) play Mr. and
Mrs. Van Dann, respectively, with Kate Ashfield (Secret Smile,
Tsunami: The Aftermath) as Miep.

John Smithson, the executive producer for Darlow Smithson
Productions, commented: “This is one of those wonderful iconic stories that
resonates to this day and we are thrilled to have secured the rights. The
Diary of Anne Frank is an intimate
portrayal of a family living through the most horrifying times but yet managing
to maintain a sense of hope. We wanted audiences to identify with all the
characters in the story—particularly Anne, who as a bright, funny,
energetic teenager, today still seems entirely modern. This production further
demonstrates Darlow Smithson’s ongoing commitment to delivering wide reaching,
high quality programming.”

—By Kristin Brzoznowski